Chapter 141: A "Monster" Suddenly Descends on the Military Camp

Upon seeing Zhang Xiaoyan also shouting out for Wei Xiaoping, Da Huang confirmed that its eyes were not deceiving it and that its master's lips were indeed moving as if trying to speak. Tears of emotion instantly welled up in the beast's eyes, and it immediately licked its master's cheek once more.

At this moment, Wei Xiaoping's eyes fluttered slightly open, though his mind remained groggy and his vision was still blurred.

Catching sight of Da Huang, he mistook the creature for Boss Ma, the nether-hound, and blurted out, "Boss... Ma... where is... His Honor, King Yama? He escorted us back, but we never got the chance to thank him before he vanished! Hurry outside and see if King Yama is still there. If he is, offer him our gratitude!"

Standing beside the bed, Zhang Xiaoyan and Da Huang were both bewildered by Wei Xiaoping's nonsensical words. What was going on? Brother Xiaoping had been unconscious for days, and the moment he woke up, he was babbling nonsense? What King Yama? What Boss Ma? What on earth was Brother Xiaoping talking about?

"Brother Xiaoping, what King Yama? What Boss Ma? What are you saying?" Zhang Xiaoyan asked anxiously. She had longed day and night for Brother Xiaoping to wake up so they could converse, never imagining that upon waking, not only would he fail to notice her and refuse to speak with her, but he would utter such baffling things!

Da Huang looked closely into Xiaoping's eyes and saw that although his eyes were open, they were still in a hazy, uncomprehending state, as if he had not fully regained consciousness.

Right at that moment, one of the two guards stationed outside the door suddenly shouted loudly, "Zhang Yun良, what kind of monster is this?"

...

The soldier named Zhang Yunliang said, "I've never seen such a thing! Where did they come from?"

"They look a lot like dogs, but they actually have three heads on a single body. Have you ever seen a monster like this?"

"The heads of these two creatures look very much like dogs! From the time I was a child until now, I've seen snakes with two heads, but I've never seen a dog with three heads! Strange, two such massive monsters—this is a military camp, heavily guarded! Where on earth did they come from? What are the sentries outside doing, letting such monsters wander right into the General's Mansion?"

"I have no idea where they came from! I just turned my head a moment ago and suddenly saw them standing on the left! Could they be some sort of evil spirits?"

"Yeah, it's bad enough that they're so ugly, but to top it all off, they actually have three heads growing on one body!"

"You two beasts, where did you come from? Get lost right now!" the soldier named Zhang Yunliang shouted, drawing his sword and pointing it at the two monsters.

"Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof..." The two monsters suddenly began to bark, their voices echoing loudly through the entire military camp, traveling from near to far.

The two monsters were already bizarre and extraordinary in appearance—tall, formidable, and fierce. Combined with their thunderous roaring, the moment the two soldiers walked closer and heard the noise, they assumed the creatures were about to attack and retreated in fright.

The booming barks startled the surrounding patrollers and sentry guards, causing them to hurriedly rush toward the source of the noise!

Some soldiers who were fast asleep were also jolted awake, thinking to themselves: This is a restricted military camp area, and keeping dogs is strictly forbidden—whose barking is that? Could I be dreaming? With that, they pulled the covers over their heads and went back to sleep.

Other deputy generals and military officers, including Huang Xianlin who lived in the adjacent building next to Wei Xiaoping's quarters, were also awakened. They thought: This is a military camp, where keeping dogs is explicitly banned. Where on earth is this dog barking coming from? And why is the sound so deafening?—Judging by the noise, there seemed to be more than one! Therefore, to be safe, they all got up to go and see what was happening.

The two guards outside Wei Xiaoping's door were looking at none other than the two nether-hounds, Boss Ma and Niu Dahua.

King Yama had used his divine powers to escort them and Wei Xiaoping back to the roof of the General's Mansion. After returning Wei Xiaoping in spirit form to his physical body, King Yama had lowered the nether-hounds' spirit forms to the ground and used his magic to restore them to their original physical shapes. Consequently, they had materialized out of thin air right in front of the gate of Wei Xiaoping's General's Mansion, which was why the two guards had no idea how they had gotten inside.

When the two nether-hounds were still in the underworld, they had spent several hundred years keeping watch alongside the two gatekeepers of the All-Things Transmigration Consulting Agency. Having frequently listened to the two gatekeepers, Luo Zhifu and Yang Zhijin, converse, they had learned to understand human ghost language and could even speak it. Thus, while still in the underworld and the Black River Purgatory, the two nether-hounds had been fully capable of communicating with Wei Xiaoping.

However, after returning to the mortal realm—which was an entirely different world—and transforming from spirits back into their original physical forms, although they could still understand human speech, they could no longer speak human words. Therefore, once they reverted to their physical entities as three-headed mastiffs, they were incapable of uttering human language in the mortal realm. Although they understood every word the two soldiers spoke, they could not use verbal communication to respond, leaving them with no choice but to bark. Naturally, the two guards could not understand dog language and, misinterpreting the fierce roaring as an impending attack, drew their swords to drive them away.

The soldier who had just shouted for Zhang Yunliang yelled again, "So huge and so ferocious-looking—what else could they be if not evil spirits? Don't let them get close to the General's Mansion!"

With that, the two guards immediately drew their swords and, each targeting one of the nether-hounds, approached cautiously.

Seeing the two men brandishing swords and intent on killing them, the nether-hounds thought to themselves: Who would have thought these two humans would be so devoid of manners? Without even figuring out why we are here, they want to chase us off and kill us. We are General Wei's personal assistants, yet the two of you don't ask any questions and blindly try to drive us away—aren't you afraid General Xiaoping will wake up and hold you accountable?

Thinking this, Boss Ma and Niu Dahua anxiously opened their mouths to speak, but no matter how many times they moved their jaws, human words failed to emerge, replaced instead by booming, mournful howls. Frustrated by their inability to speak, they wrinkled their lips, revealing sharp fangs.

Seeing the nether-hounds curl their lips and bare their fangs, the two soldiers assumed the monsters were about to launch an assault. The one named Zhang Yunliang shouted, "Liu Anping, the monsters are going to attack! Let's strike first and gain the upper hand!"

The soldier named Liu Anping chimed in, "You got it! Even if they don't attack, we have to chase them out. This is a military camp zone—how can we allow these monsters to run amok!"

Without a shred of fear, the two men swung their swords and slashed directly at the creatures' heads.

Realizing that the two soldiers were truly attacking with drawn swords, the nether-hounds remembered that this was General Wei Xiaoping's residence and that the guards must be their master's subordinates. Therefore, while dodging the incoming sword strikes, they continued to bark, desperately trying to convey their intentions to the two guards!

To their dismay, seeing the two massive monsters dodge their strikes made the soldiers think the creatures were intimidated by their offensive, which only bolstered their courage and sent a surge of adrenaline through them. Their attacks grew increasingly rapid!

Inside by the sickbed, Zhang Xiaoyan and the beast Da Huang heard the shouting between the two soldiers outside the main gate, the clanging of weapons clashing, and the booming, thunderous barks.

Zhang Xiaoyan thought: Dawn hasn't broken yet, who is making such a ruckus outside the General's Mansion at this hour? This is the General's Mansion, yet someone is here early to disturb Brother Xiaoping's rest. Don't they know Brother Xiaoping was severely injured and is currently recuperating? She then told Da Huang to go outside and see what was happening.

Da Huang walked out the door and saw two three-headed monsters exchanging blows back and forth with the two soldiers.